


Missing you

by hermanthejanitor



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hiatus, Season/Series 03 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-17
Updated: 2016-06-17
Packaged: 2018-07-15 14:51:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7226902
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermanthejanitor/pseuds/hermanthejanitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy has a mandatory day off while Jake's gone and finds a box of his. The contents triggers some extremely fluffy memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Missing you

Amy cracked her eyes open slowly. Light bled through her curtains, bathing the room in an unforgiving light. It revealed the neatly stacked boxes and files and binders pervading every spare surface, the diagrams and maps and photos plastering the walls, and the empty space next to her in bed. Amy inwardly groaned. Then she outwardly groaned because there was no one here who might be disturbed by her sounds, no one to roll over and pull her close to him when she woke up too early, no one to make her laugh when her lips turned downwards. Her lips were turned downwards most of the time nowadays.  
Amy sat up in bed, groaning as her head started pounding. She was severely behind on sleep, which was probably why the entire squad had forced her to have this day off, but staying in bed any longer would most likely mean that she wouldn’t get up for the rest of the day.  
She dragged herself into the kitchen, making herself a coffee with all the enthusiasm of a convict stepping into her cell for the first time. She took a sip and sighed, feeling the caffeine oil the rusty cogs of her mind.  
_What am I going to do?_ The question echoed through her head. Was she referring to the seemingly never-ending case? The ball of pain that had settled in her stomach minutes after The Phone Call in Shaw’s Bar? The exhaustion that tugged at her limbs and made her want to crawl into the arms of someone with warm brown eyes and an infectious smile? Or maybe she was just asking herself what to do with her ‘day off’.  
Amy’s eyes scanned her apartment apathetically, finally settling on a small box in the corner. The words “Nice Stuff” were scrawled across the front in a messy hand, the box itself battered and falling apart at the seams. It was clearly Jake’s, but she had no idea what was in it. He had left her with a lot of stuff to look after when he…  
Amy wandered over and opened it curiously, and almost fell backwards when she saw the contents. 

The box was filled to the brim with memories. For the most part it was photographs, snapshots of their life before Jake had been bundled off to Florida. There they were with big goofy smiles at last year’s Halloween party, a selfie of a disgruntled Jake with a daisy chain around his head as Amy laughed at him, Amy looking like a demented Chihuahua next to a smiling Jake as they wallowed in their triumph over the vulture…Amy didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry.  
_Why did Jake have a box like this? Why had he bothered to print out so many photos? Why hadn’t he told her? Why hadn’t he organized them into a neatly categorized photo album, cross-referencing the timing and location of the photo with its emotional significance?_  
Amy smiled at her last question, hearing Jake’s response in her head _“because I’m a normal person.”_  
God, even her imaginary Jake was annoying. Suddenly, Amy knew what she wanted to do today. She would organize these photos into the perfect album/scrapbook. When he came back they would look at it together, and he would mock her colour-coded subsections, and they would smile fondly at their memories, and she would take his hand and say that she loved him and had missed him, and tell him that if he dared leave her again she would systematically burn all his Die Hard paraphernalia…  
Amy hurried around the apartment to gather her scrapbooking equipment, filled with new energy and purpose. 

As she slowly sorted through the box of photos, Amy mentally came up with subcategories to divide the scrapbook into. _Precinct photos, Holiday photos, photos with the squad,_ she listed, _bedroom photos_ she added, smiling to herself. Knowing Jake some of the less PG pictures had probably made it into this box. She picked up the next photo and froze. It was an image of Amy and Jake in Jake’s apartment, curled up on the couch. Amy’s face was buried in Jake’s chest, and Jake was grinning up at the camera. It wasn’t his normal face-splitting grin though; it was softer, gentler, that look he got when she took his hand as they walked down the street, or when he covered her with a blanket when she was dozing on the couch. In an instant she was back in that moment, reliving it. 

_Her energy was sapped; she trudged down the corridor to Jake’s door automatically, not really thinking about where she was going or what she was doing. She knocked quietly on his door, resting her head against its cool surface as she waited. She heard him shuffling around inside and stepped back, looking blearily up at his face as he opened the door. He was wearing his flannel pajama bottoms and a tight-fitting grey shirt, his hair was mussed and his eyes were a little unfocused from sleep. He smiled happily when he saw her, but concern soon clouded his eyes as he noted her worn-out expression. He wordlessly wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to sink into his touch. She felt him breathe in the scent of her hair and smiled to herself. He loved how solid and safe he felt against her, how he was rubbing her back in small, comforting circles. Slowly he maneuvered them inside and closed the door, holding her a little tighter as they breathed in and out in unison. Eventually she leant back so she could look him in the eye, feeling that she owed him an explanation._  
_“My brother’s baby was born.”_  
_His face cracked into a full-on Peralta grin “oh my God, Ames, that’s awesome! Is everyone ok? Why didn’t you call me?”_  
_“Yeah, everyone’s happy and healthy, she’s called Mia and she has these big brown eyes and the cutest little mouth” Amy smiled fondly “sorry I didn’t call you, but Paula went into labour at 1 in the morning and I know you have an early shift tomorrow” she glanced at the clock “well, later on today. I’m only here now because I was too tired to get back to mine, and…I really wanted to see you.”_  
_“Aw, Babe” Jake’s expression was as tender as she’d ever seen it “that’s so great, but you don’t need to justify coming over here, I’m really happy to see you” he placed a kiss on the top of her head “and you could have called me, I don’t mind missing out on sleep for you. Unless, that is, you’re calling at three in the morning to tell me to get to the airport four hours before my flight, that I’m less ok with.”_  
_Amy let out a tired giggle, nuzzling into Jake’s shoulder again_  
_“Me telling you that meant that you arrived two hours early, which is almost the minimum when travelling internationally.”_  
_“I wasn’t travelling internationally! Never mind, I am not going through this again” Jake squeezed her tightly before releasing her. Amy was about to object when she realized that Jake was leading her over to the couch._  
_“Ok, so you are going to lie here, I am going to make you some soup, and then you are going to spend the day sleeping while I’m at work, so when I come home I know there’ll be a very relaxed girlfriend waiting, and ready be defeated at monopoly.”_  
_“You don’t even like monopoly” Amy muttered, as Jake gently laid her down on the couch._  
_“No, but you get really cute and competitive when we play, and that makes the hours of suffering worth while. Also, I’ve got a new strategy and I’m going to kick your ass this time” he brushed her hair back from her face “by the way, I preemptively dibs the race car.”_  
_As he stood to go to the kitchen Amy grabbed his hand._  
_“Don’t go.”_  
_“I’m only making soup, Babe, I know you won’t have eaten anything at the hospital-”_  
_“I’m fine, really, I just want to be with you right now.”_  
_Amy’s eyes were forcing themselves shut so she didn’t see his reaction to her words, but when he spoke it wasn’t in the lightly teasing tone she was expecting, but something much softer._  
_“Sure thing, Ames.” He scooped her up and adjusted them so she was lying on his chest, snuggling into his warmth and filling her nose with his scent. He wrapped his arms around her and soothingly stroked up and down her spine. Amy let out a sigh of the pent up stress she was still carrying from the hospital and felt herself unwind, practically melting onto him._  
_“Hey Ames?”_  
_“Mmm?”_  
_“I love you.”_  
_“Mmhmm.”_  
_He chuckled as she closed her eyes, feeling safer and more cared for than she could ever remember. It was at that point she had heard the click of his phone camera. She looked up at him, irritated. He shot her a guilty look._  
_“Sorry, I thought you were asleep already. It’s just that you looked super cute and adorable and-”_  
_She shut him up with a finger over his mouth, and gave him a warning look. He clearly got the message and put his phone down, placing his hands on her back again and caressing her hair as she fell into a deep slumber._

Amy swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat as she studied the photo, placing it carefully in its own pile that she mentally marked as ‘favourites.’ Forcing herself back into the present, she continued her slow progress through the box of photos. As she studied each in turn, she realized just how much Jake had cherished these. Most were well worn, as if he had flicked through this box regularly, and they appeared to be arranged in the closest thing to an order Jake could manage. The group photos were generally at the top, along with more mundane shots of Jake and Amy at formal events, and some from before they had started dating, the more meaningful and intimate stuff was squirreled away at the bottom. As Amy sifted through them, she remembered how many good moments they had shared, and how much time they had actually spent together.  
Of course, she knew the past year had been great, but looking at these pictures made her recall all the little times, the inconsequential moments that actually meant the most to her. She felt almost overwhelmed with happiness at the sheer volume of wonderful moments stored in this box, though the feeling was tainted with grief that Jake wasn’t there to share the feeling.  
She couldn’t help but admire Jake for doing this, for realizing the importance of appreciating the everyday parts of their relationship, not just the big moments like anniversaries, or the first time they said “I love you”. That was Jake all over though, telling her that he loved her through a dozen little actions every day, before he could ever form the words. And now he was on the other side of the country. 

It wasn’t long until Amy came across another picture that hit her like a ton of bricks. This one was of Jake and Amy shooting down a water slide, Amy’s evident terror only matched by the exhilaration in Jake’s eyes.

_She had been invited to her nephew’s birthday party, along with the entire family, at this massive water park out of the city. Amy suspected that the whole family was there partially to celebrate the occasion, but mostly so would be more adults to look out for the dozens of kids screaming and running around the water park. Amy had got Jake to come with her, as she really wasn’t looking forward to spending that much time with a lot of hyper children, or with her brothers for that matter. Jake was always a pretty good buffer with her brothers, they seemed to like him and his amiable chatter often circumvented the bullying that would commence if her brothers were left alone with her for too long. Don’t get her wrong, they were great and loving brothers, but they were still brothers and she was still their baby sister._  
_They arrived at the water park at about midday, and the party was already well underway. Children aged 12 and below charged around the water park, laughing and pushing and racing and diving and sliding and slipping and crying. Basically, it was chaos. She and Jake quickly got changed, and Amy couldn’t help but notice the appreciative look Jake shot her as she emerged in her swimsuit. Jake didn’t look so bad himself, Amy reflected, admiring the muscles that moved under his skin as he adjusted his blue swimming shorts._  
_In the end, despite the insane children and her oafish brothers, Amy had a great time at the water park._  
_Jake kicked things off by pushing her into the pool, but Amy quickly got her own back by grabbing his arm and dragging him into the water with her while he was doubled over in hysterics. They rose to the surface together, spluttering with laughter and splashing one another, each trying to get the upper hand. Finally, Amy had latched onto Jake’s back and had refused let go, no matter how much he swung around, ducked underwater, or tried to tickle her. He sank into the water, exhausted, with Amy still giggling and hanging like a limpet onto his back._  
_“Alright, alright Amy, you win this one,” he panted, winded from his exertions._  
_“You bet I do” Amy replied, kissing him on the cheek. They floated for a few minutes, Amy looking up at the deep blue sky with her head on Jake’s shoulder as he stroked her legs wrapped around his waist._

_Their moment was interrupted by one of her nieces running past and insisting that Amy take her to the bathroom. After that ordeal, Amy was ambushed by a trio of her aunts, who insisted on stewing in the park’s Jacuzzi and chattering about every detail of Amy’s life. When Amy had finally escaped from their clutches, she wandered through the park, keeping an eye out for Jake. She was half afraid he had been cornered by one of her brothers and was being grilled about their relationship, when finally she spotted him._  
_Jake was lurching blindly around one of the smaller pools, shouting “Marco!” to a dozen giggling children, who were splashing out of his way, shrieking “Polo!”_  
_Amy couldn’t help but smile to herself. Of course Jake would be here, flourishing as the centre of attention, the life of the party. She watched as he waved his arms around theatrically as he waded through the water, laughing to herself when he missed grabbing one of the children by less than a foot._  
_At this stage one of her nephews spotted her and gesticulated wildly, clearly eager for her to join the game. Beaming, Amy complied. She slipped into the pool and the next time Jake called “Marco!” she joined in with the others in responding “Polo!”_  
_Jake’s head instantly cocked, slowly turning to face her with a slight smile playing across his lips._  
_“Marco?” he called curiously._  
_“Polo,” Amy replied, softly enough so she hoped Jake wouldn’t notice. It didn’t work. He started moving towards her, calling “Marco!” intermittently, quickly zeroing in on her, much to the amusement of the children. Eventually Amy was entirely trapped, Jake’s arms spread to block all escape routes. Exasperated, Amy splashed him in the face, sending her nieces and nephews into squeals of laughter. Somehow giving her an ‘I’m going to get you for that’ look with his eyes still shut, Jake closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her waist._  
_“Gotcha” he whispered in her ear, making Amy giggle._  
_“How awkward would it be if you just did that to my mother or something?”_  
_“Oh god” Jake leaned back, looking into her eyes “can you imagine? I would have actually stayed underwater for the rest of my life.”_  
_“Guess you’re pretty lucky in that case.”_  
_“I know” he grinned at her, making her blush slightly._  
_“That is far too much cheesiness for my nephew’s birthday party.”_  
_“They’ve got to learn some day, couples are just sickening.”_  
_Amy laughed, smacking his arm. He winked at her before releasing her._  
_They spent another twenty minutes playing with the children, until finally snack time was announced. As the kids scrambled towards the dining area Jake grabbed Amy’s hand, dragging her out of the water and towards an area of the park she hadn’t been through before._  
_“Ok, so I saw this and I really wanted to do it, but I decided to wait and see if you’d chicken out or want to do it with me” Jake chattered, coming to a stop in front of the biggest water slide in the park. It was an imposing construction, seemingly combining water with utter lunacy. It looped and twisted and dove, until finally shooting water out at an impressive speed into a shallow pool._  
_“Ummm” Amy examined the monster, extremely concerned._  
_“Yeah, figured you wouldn’t be up to it, you can just stand here and watch me do it.” Jake gave her a mischievous look before setting off towards the stairs for the slide. Of course, Amy squared her jaw and followed him, just as she knew he knew she would._

_“Jake, are you sure about this?” Amy said uncertainly, looking down at the ground far below._  
_“Uh-huh” Jake replied, cockiness dissipating as he too studied the little pool they were supposed to land in._  
_“Next” the bored water park employee called from the entrance to the slide._  
_“Um” Jake turned to the worker, gripping Amy’s hand “could we go together?”_  
_“Sure” the employee didn’t even glance up as Jake led Amy to the slide, sitting down in the entranceway and inviting her to sit behind him. Amy shot him a distressed look, but he only nodded encouragingly. Partly because she just trusted Jake, but mostly because she didn’t want to be outdone, Amy sat. She wrapped her arms around Jake’s chest tightly, feeling water flow around her before rushing down the slide in front of them. Jake glanced back and grinned at her nervous expression, she glared in response and poked his side, making him squeak._  
_“Go” the employee ordered, and they were off._  
_For Amy the entire experience was just a blurry mass of distorted images and fear. She clung to Jake for dear life, not caring that she was probably holding tightly enough to hurt. Jake didn’t seem to mind though, letting out whoops and shouts of excitement, laughing as Amy almost screamed curse words in English and Spanish into his ear._  
_At one point there was a flash, a phenomenon Amy would later realize was one of her brothers taking a photo of the two of them careering down the slide._  
_Suddenly, as soon as it had begun, it was over. They splashed down in the little pool at the bottom, heads spinning and laughter bubbling uncontrollably from their throats. Amy felt adrenalin buzzing inside her, her mind gradually coming back to Earth and the heady feeling fading slightly. Her arms were still wrapped around Jake as he turned to face her._  
_“So what did you think?” he asked laughingly._  
_“I think I’m an idiot for ever listening to you.”_  
_“Aw” he pouted in that way that made her heart melt “it wasn’t so bad, was it?”_  
_Amy sighed, nudging his arm affectionately “no, that was actually pretty fun.”_  
_“Yes!” he crowed triumphantly, spinning them around in the water. Amy laughed and hugged him tighter, burying her head in the crook of his neck._  
_“You guys going to get out any time soon?” her brother called from the side of the pool. Amy rolled her eyes as she and Jake exited the pool._  
_“Want to see who can go on the most times without screaming?” Jake turned to her, nodding back towards the slide._  
_“You’re on” Amy responded laughingly._

Amy gazed down at the photo now, remembering how her brother had emailed it to her a couple days later, and how she had shown Jake. An odd expression had spread over his face, and he had asked her to forward it to him. She realized now what he had been doing, gradually accumulating more and more images to put in his ‘Nice Stuff’ box.  
She had never felt under appreciated when she was with Jake, he was always as eager as a puppy for her company, and he never seemed happier than when he was touching her, even if it was just an arm around her shoulder. But this, this was a new level of sweet. Amy suddenly registered that in all her perusal of the ‘Nice Stuff’ box she had yet to come across a single picture that didn’t have her in it. A sad smile spread across her face at that.  
_I’ll show him_ , she promised herself, _he’ll know that he means just as much to me as I do to him._  


Amy continued in her methodical examination of the contents of the box, studying each image carefully before placing it on the correct pile. Suddenly she stumbled upon another photo that made her pause. This one is a bit unusual in that it was a shot of the entire squad. It was taken at the Nine Nine’s Christmas party, and Amy couldn’t help but recall what a great night that had been.

_It had been a few days before the whole Die Hard-esque incident where Jake, Charles and Gina had been trapped in a store overtaken by bad guys, and the squad had booked a private room at a nice restaurant for a proper Christmas meal before everyone got wrapped up in the holiday hype. It was a highly enjoyable evening; Terry and Holt had sat at opposite ends of the table, Amy positioned between Terry and Jake. Jake had intentionally moved her as far away from Holt as possible so she would relax, and not be focusing on trying to impress her captain the entire night. The conversation among the group was easy and light, even Holt managing to crack a smile. Skully and Hitchcock pretty much only talked to each other, knowing that if they contributed they would only annoy someone and be kicked out before the food arrived._  
_Amy chatted with Terry and Rosa, feeling alcohol pleasantly warming her stomach. She glanced over at Jake gossiping with Gina from time to time, and couldn’t help but grin when she met his eye. He squeezed her hand under the table, his mouth quirking upwards in that really cute way that made her heart flutter._  
Snap out of it _, Amy reprimanded herself,_ this is still a work event, we can’t be too couple-y in front of our colleagues.  
_All the same though, she squeezed his hand right back._  
_The meal progressed leisurely, the sound of conversation swelling gradually as more alcohol was consumed and the group became more boisterous._  
_“Come on Boo, just try it” Gina called to her, poking out her tongue and rolling it._  
_“Yeah, Santiago, we can all do it” Terry joined in; poking out his own rolled tongue. The sight of the hulking man poking out his tongue like a proud first-grader was almost enough to split Amy’s sides._  
_“Do you need a second to come up with a tactical approach, Ames?” Jake joined in, a smile playing across his face “I think a solid start would be actually poking your tongue out.”_  
_Amy glared at him before sticking out her tongue and doing her best to command it to roll. She failed utterly, just managing to waggle it around slightly, making the squad burst into laughter. Amy scowled down at her tongue, almost going cross-eyed in her efforts to see it. She turned to Jake, frustrated._  
_“Is it working?” she tried to say while still sticking her tongue out, though it sounded more like ‘ith eh erkin?’_  
_Jake just managed to shake his head as he leaned back in his chair, shaking with laughter._  
_“What are you all discussing?” Captain Holt’s voice interrupted their mirth._  
_“Oh, nothing sir” Jake just managed to gasp out, trying to get his giggles under control “we were just seeing who can roll their tongue. Or, in Santiago’s case, who was an utter failure and should be ashamed to call themselves a detective.”_  
_“There is no correlation there-” Amy objected, but Jake held up a hand._  
_“Quiet, inferior one, I will not degrade myself by fraternizing with the likes of you.”_  
_Amy punched him in the arm and he winced, smirking at her over his shoulder. Amy turned her attention back to Holt, who had watched the entire exchange pokerfaced. Slowly, deliberately, he poked his tongue out and rolled it while the squad watched in shock and delight. The table erupted into laughter and applause, Holt smiling at their outburst._  
_“See Ames, even the Captain can do it, how ashamed are you at the moment?” Jake’s voice sounded in her ear._  
_Amy looked daggers at him “at least I know what asparagus is.”_  
_“Hey, that’s not fair, the writing on the menu was cursive, I thought it said ass-parrot-gas.”_  
_“What even would that look like?” Amy asked, exasperated._  
_“Like a bird’s butt of course! I’d rather eat that than actual asparagus.” Jake rolled his eyes as if she were the crazy one._  
_“You concern me.”_  
_He poked out his rolled tongue and waggled his eyebrows at her until she couldn’t maintain her glare any more. She broke into a smile and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close so he could kiss the top of her head. He relaxed back in his seat, keeping his arm loosely around her shoulders._  
_“Jake and Amy are being gross!” Rosa called._  
_“It’s magical…” Charles sighed._  
_“Shut up guys, it’s Christmas and we’re adorable” Jake called back, squishing his cheek into Amy’s and squeezing her tight. Amy knew he was making a silly expression and rolled her eyes, trying to conceal her grin. She was surrounded by her friends, on Christmas, with a pleasant buzz from the beer running through her veins, and good food in front of her. If her boyfriend wanted to put his arm around her, she certainly wasn’t going to stop him._

_Far too quickly it seemed to Amy, desert was being cleared away and members of the squad were starting to check their watches, calculating the difficulties that came with traveling at this time of night. Amy leant against Jake and rested her hand on his leg, blinking her eyes sleepily. He turned and smiled down at her._  
_“What’re you thinking Ames?” he took her hand and rubbed his thumb across the back of her palm._  
_“That this is the best Christmas ever” Amy replied, meeting his gaze._  
_“Is this an after school special or something?” he teased, but the brightness in his eyes told Amy that her comment was appreciated._  
_“Sure, I’m Tiny Tim and you’re Scrooge” Amy replied, sticking her chin out, as if daring him to disagree._  
_“What? No way am I Scrooge! If anything, I’m the Ghost of Christmas Future, all dark and badass. Or maybe I’m Jiminy Cricket…”_  
“What?”  
_“You know, from ‘Mickey’s Christmas Carol’?”_  
_“Oh my God Jake, you never read the original ‘A Christmas Carol’ book by Charles Dickens?”_  
_“It was a book?”_  
_“Jake!” Amy stared at him, aghast. Jake looked thoughtful for a second before smirking._  
_“Nope, I’ve got it. I’m John McClane, the ultimate Christmas hero.”_  
_“That’s not even a Christmas movie,” Amy pointed out._  
_“How dare you! ‘Let it Snow’ plays at the end, what else do you want from a Christmas movie?”_  
_“There are also explosions, and guns, and bad guys-”_  
_“The classic Christmas tale” Jake concluded smugly._  
_“No way” Amy shook her head “you do not get to count it as your favourite cop movie and your favourite Christmas movie.”_  
_“It’s a adaptable film-”_  
_Their bickering was cut off by Terry standing._  
_Alright guys, I’ve got to head home. Sharon’s been left on baby watch for way too long, and Terry needs to relieve her” he announced._  
_“No, Terry!” Gina whined “don’t break up the party, you’ve got to dig deep inside and let your inner wolf shine!”_  
_“Ok, I didn’t understand that, but I have to go.”_  
_“Wait, wait, wait!” Gina pulled out her phone “group photo first!”_  
_The group collectively groaned, knowing that Gina in charge of a group photo could leave them trapped here for hours. Suddenly Terry spotted their escape._  
_“Good idea, Gina. Excuse me!” Terry called to a waiter passing the doorway “would you mind taking a photo of us please?”_  
_The waiter smiled and nodded, taking Terry’s proffered phone._  
_“Ok everyone, squeeze together” the waiter called as he tried to find a good angle._  
_“You know” Jake’s voice came softly in Amy’s ear “I bet John McClane would make the best Disney hero. Just think of it; the Hunchback of Notre Clane, Aladdi-Die Hard, Wreck-it-John.”_  
_“John in Wonderland” Amy suggested._  
_“The McClane-ibles.”_  
_“One Hundred and One Detonations.”_  
_“The Beauty and the Gruber.”_  
_“Poca-John-tas.”_  
_“The Little McClane. Just picture it, Bruce Wills with flowing red hair and a seashell bikini...”_  
_Amy had held it together up until that point, but the image of one of the biggest action stars in history frolicking with Flounder and Sebastian through the sea broke her. She burst into a loud laugh, tears springing into her eyes. Jake quickly joined in, and there was no saving her._  
_Of course, it was that was the moment the waiter decided to take the photo. Jake and Amy didn’t care though; both were helpless with laughter, leaning on each other for support as the rest of the group stared at them as if they were insane._  
Maybe we are _, Amy had reflected,_ but damn it we are happy.

Amy smiled at the memory, wiping a tear from her eye so it didn’t splash onto the glossy surface of the photograph. Eventually Jake and Amy had calmed down enough for a proper picture to be taken of the group, but that wasn’t the one Jake had saved. No, this photo showed the squad smiling at the camera, while Jake and Amy busted up in the middle of it all. Amy had this wonderfully surprised look on her face, as if her laughter had sprung out of her without warning, and she was just going along for the ride. Jake sat at her side, his face a mixture of elation and pride, clearly pleased with himself for being able to make Amy lose it so entirely. The underlying expression in both of their faces though was contentment, verging on bliss.  
Amy pressed her lips together, trying to hold back a sob as she remembered that it was unlikely that Jake would be there to laugh with her anytime soon. She balled her hands into fists to stop them shaking as she gazed at her boyfriend’s contagious smile, a smile she hadn’t seen in so long…

Amy passed the rest of the day like that, sifting through the photos bit by bit. She didn’t get all the way through the box, or even start on the proper scrapbooking, but she was pleased with her day’s work.  
Somewhat counter intuitively, spending the day wallowing in memories of her absent boyfriend had actually made her feel better. Despite the tightness in her chest, she felt close to Jake again. Amy could almost feel him sitting at her side, reliving the memories with her and making little comments to make her laugh. She was reinvigorated, ready to continue the fight to bring him home.  
Amy strode into work the next day, a fresh spring in her step and a smile almost making its way onto her lips, making Charles stop in his tracks when he saw her.  
“You ok, Amy?” he asked cautiously, trying to gauge her mood.  
“Yep” she replied, dropping a fresh stack of folders on her desk “come on Boyle, we’ve got work to do.”  
A slow smile spread across Charles’ face and he nodded enthusiastically, scrambling back to his desk and starting to type furiously on his computer. Amy glanced around at the squad, laboring all around her.  
_We’ll get him back ___she promised herself for the second time since The Phone Call, _we’ll get them all back. ___

 

 

 

 


End file.
